The cloud industry is quickly making its mark on the digital world, and the topic of cloud hosting versus dedicated hosting is a heated debate on many forums and websites across the Internet. While many are taking advantage of the numerous benefits of cloud hosting, others argue that dedicated is still the way to go. The following explains the differences between a dedicated server and cloud hosting and the pros and cons of each one.

Dedicated Hosting

Once considered the gold standard of web hosting, dedicated servers are leased or purchased by a user who then utilizes all the resources for web applications or large, interactive sites. A basic dedicated server can be started for around $100 per month, with the the cost adding up further as other features are added. As a dedicated server must be physically set-up by a person, there is a waiting period before it can be used.

Cloud Hosting

Considered the next big thing, cloud hosting may very well dominate in the years to come. Hosting in the cloud differs from a dedicated server in that the server actually runs in an outsourced, virtualized environment, which means a single physical server is hosting a number of virtual servers. The user cannot see a difference between a dedicated and cloud server, but they operate very differently.

Cost Differences

A dedicated server can set up for as little as $50, but its configuration will be lacking. The normal monthly operating cost is between $100 and $1,000. The user is limited by the OS, bandwidth and space capacities of the physical server.

Cloud hosting is billed as a storage fee, depending on how much disk space is being used and for how long. The average starting cost is $50, without an upper limit. The service is strictly “pay as you go”.

Performance Differences

Both cloud hosting and dedicated web hosting perform equally speed wise, however, a dedicated server may develop a problem known as a “dirty instance”. This is similar to a PC that has become clogged with temporary files, causing a performance slowdown. The server may experience downtime while being cleaned up.

The same problem can occur in cloud hosting, but it is easier to deal with, as it can be switched over to a new instance while the dirty one is being dealt with. Then everything can be seamlessly moved back to the original server. This eliminates the downtime that can be experienced with a dedicated server.

Reliability Differences

Cloud hosting shines when it comes to reliability. All the stored data is placed across many different machines, so if one server crashes, applications and websites stay up and may only experience slightly slower performance.

Unfortunately, a dedicated server has no such backup plan, so if the server crashes, the user’s site will go down with it. This downtime can very detrimental to a business.

While cloud hosting appears to be the clear winner, the debate goes on.

Author bio:†Mike is an internet enthusiast and he is interested in web development, Search Engine Optimization and web designs. You may visit one of his sites at†http://dedicatedserverreviews.com†if you like to compare the dedicated server plans from different companies.